Garbage disposer



A ril 1, 1952 J. c. TROTTER 2,591,383

GARBAGE DISPOSER Fild Oct. 23, 1946 4 sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR John C. Poitier 63 ATTORN EYS April 1, 1952 J. c. TROTTER 2,591,388

GARBAGE DISPOSER Filed Oct. 25, 1946 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Job/7 C. Potter M w @wflz ATTORNEYS April 1, 1952 J. c. TROTTER GARBAGE DISPOSER Filed Oct. 23, 1946 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 -f/OO QMM ATTORNEYS April 1, 1952 J. c. TROTTER 2,591,388

GARBAGE DISPOSER Filed Oct. 25, 1946 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Fig.6.

INVENTOIR John C. Potter ATTORNEYS Patented Apr. 1, 1952 GARBAGE DISPOSER John C. Trotter, Burlington, Vt., assignor to Bell Aircraft Corporation, Wheatfield, N. Y.

Application October 23, 1946, Serial No. 705,170

1 Claim. 1

My device relates in general to garbage disposal units, and in particular to that type of disposal unit in which the garbage and other waste materials are comminuted by a cutting or shredding device, and thereafter disposed of through the sewer drain.

It is well known that garbage disposal units of the present art usually have cutter blades which are rigidly carried by the cutter head and the electric power means mounted beneath the cutter head in substantial vertical alignment with the cutter head. In such installations, the cutter head must be started substantially under full load if the disposal unit contains a quantity of garbage, which requires the use of a motor of a type possessing the necessary starting torque; and due to the wear on the bearings of the disposal unit and the shaft packing thereof, leakage of water invariably occurs which finally finds its way into the power means resulting eventually in a defective or burned out motor.

The present invention contemplates an arrangement in which the electric motor is located at the side of the disposal unit housing with its shaft in a substantially horizontal plane, thereby greatly reducing the possibility of water entering the interior thereof.

Moreover, the cutter blade arrangement is of such nature that an inexpensive type electric motor may be used which may substantially reach its running speed before the blades reach their full cutting performance.

The invention furthermore contemplates the use of sufllcient quantities of water in the comminution of the material being treated, and the automatic control of the operation of the device in accordance with the water level, thereby facilitating the comminution of the material and also avoiding drain stoppage.

Moreover, the cutter blades, which are centrifugally actuated to their operating positions, are held in such positions not only by centrifugal action, but also by the cutting action upon the garbage material and are held during such operation in contact with definite stops carried by the cutter head.

Furthermore, it has been an object to provide a safety switch for the purpose of preventing the Fig. 2 is a similar view with portions thereof shown in section;

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view of the device taken on line III-III of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary top plan view showing the control element;

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional elevation taken on line V-V of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 6 is an electrical diagram showing the various parts of the device connected in suitable electrical control circuits.

Referring now to the drawings, my device comprises a casing l adapted to be suitably supported beneath a kitchen sink or other place suitable for the disposal of waste materials and where there is a suitable source of running water. This casing is preferably cylindrical in cross section at its upper end and is flared outwardly at its lower end where it is formed with a recess ll of polygonal cross section for the reception of the cutter block I2 01' the cutting mechanism. This block is formed with circular recesses [3 in its upper face for the reception of the cutter head M of the device. This cutter head which is disposed in a substantially horizontal plane is formed with shaft portions l and I6 rotatably mounted in suitable bearings formed in the end walls and 2|, respectively, of the cutter block. The shaft portion I5 is preferably surrounded by a bearing hub 22 which passes into an enlarged opening in the end wall 20 of the cutter block and through an opening 24 in the side wall 25 of the lower recessed portion of the casing l0, whereby the cutter block and easing are maintained in aligned positions and assembly of the cutter head is facilitated. The shaft I5 has a reduced portion 26 which is connected to the shaft 30 of an electric motor 3| by suitable coupling means. This motor is preferably arranged in a horizontal plane and is secured to the lower recessed portion of the casing to, having the flange 23 of the bearing hub disposed therebetween. The reduced portion 26 of the shaft l5 extends inwardly beyond the face of the flange 23, whereby a recess is provided for the reception of a suitable packing ring 32, whereby the lubricant will be retained within the bearing of the shaft and water from the disposal unit prevented from leaking into the interior of the motor.

The cutter head, as shown in the drawings, is provided with a plurality of oppositely arranged blade slots 33 each formed with a substantially fiat portion 34 lying in planes substantially paral lel to each other and oiTset in relation to the axis of the head. A cutter blade 35 is disposed in each of the slots 33 and is mounted for limited pivotal movement upon a pivot pin 36. Each of the blades is provided with a base portion which is designed to bear against the flat portion 34 of the slot when the blade is in its cutting position, as shown in Fig. 2. The blade is also formed with a cutting portion 4| having a radially arranged cutting face 42 preferably inclined slightly so as to have suitable top rake when in cutting position.

As hereinbefore pointed out, it is one of the objects of my invention to be able to employ an inexpensive electric motor for operating ithe cutter head of my device. As is well known, such motors cannot have the load applied until they have substantially reached their maximum operating speed. Provision is therefore made in my cutting head for permitting the motor and the head to assume substantially normal speed before the cutting blades are put into action. This is accomplished by causing the blades to lie Within the slots with their cutting portions 4! flush with orbelow' the outer periphery of the cutter head during periods of rest and during the time that the motor is picking up speed. This is accomplished by providing a retarding spring 43 of heli cal form and arranged within a circular, groove 54 formed in the straight portion 34 of each of the blade slots. One end of each of these springs bearsagainst the end of the groove 44, the other end bearing against a cutter arm 45 extending from the base portion 49 of each blade and into the groove 44. These springs serve normally to rotate the cutter blades upon'their pivots 36 and to. move them to their inoperative positions. When the cutter head has substantially reached its normal operating speed, the blades are rotated in the opposite direction by means of centrifugal force whereby their cutting portions iiwill be projected beyond the periphery of the cutter head.

Formed in the circular recesses i3 of the cutter block is a plurality of grooves 46 registering with the blades 35 and of such proportion to provide suitable coacting cutting teeth or abutments -8 for the blades. A centrally arranged downwardly flaring outlet passage 5| is provided in the cutter block between the two circular recesses i3 which serves to conduct the comminuted product to a disposal flange 52 suitably connected to the usual trap 53, whereby the waste materials are conveyed to the sewer. The disposal flange is secured to the bottom of the recessed portion of the casing by suitable means and interposed thcrebetwcen is the flange 54 of the cutter block l2.

Feeding of the garbage'to the cutter head is facilitated by the provision of an oscillating hopper55 which is pivotally mounted at its upper end in the upper end of the casing upon pivot pins 58 diametrically arranged with respect to each other. The lower end of this hopper is in close proximity to the top surface 60 of the cutter block and is formed with a circular recess 6| for passage over the cutter head. The hopper is considerably smaller in its dimension at right angles to its pivot pins than the casing Hi, thereby permitting it to oscillate back and forth a limited amount. The recess 6| is therefore elongated so as to permit such oscillatory movement.

Arranged on the top of the casing I8 is the housing 53 of the control unit 57 of my device which is also provided with a suitable fastening device 54 having a sleeve portion 65 screw-threaded on its exterior for the reception of a lock nut 66. The sleeve is formed with a flange portion for engagement with a suitable countersunk opening ll formed in the bottom 12 of the sink. By means of the flange and lock nut the sleeve portion 65 is seated in the countersunk opening H of the sink and provides means for fastening the control housing thereto. The control housing is formed with a wall 13 of a diameter substantially equal to the interior diameter of the sleeve portion .65 whereby a cylindrical recess 14 is provided. Within the recess 14 is mounted the control member 15 of my device which comprises an outer casing i6 and a bottom 80. A rotatable control element 8| is mounted within the outer casing and is provided with a bottom 83 pivotally united to the bottom by suitable pivot means whereby the parts may be handled as a unit. The control element is provided with a top 82 joined to the bottom 83 by means of a side wall 84. The bottom.83 of the element is formed with suitable openings 85 which are registrable with similar openings 35 which are formed in the bottom 80 of the outer casing when the control member is in'place and the control element is in its operative position. The top wall 82 of the casing is cut away from opposite sides to provide openings 99 between which is'formed a handle 9|. A stifieningrib 92 extends across the control element in line with the .end edges of the openings 99 at one side of the element, and a partition 93 extends across the casing of 1 the element preferably in line with the opposite end edges of the openings 90. The partition 93 thus provides the element with a separate compartment 94 having a series of openings 95 near its lower edgeand a series of openings 96 near its upper end for the passage of water accumulated in the device during its operation and to be more fully hereinafter described.

- It is desirable in devices of this type to prevent the starting of the motor before the control member has been put into position or the element thereof moved to its operative position after the device has been charged with waste materials. This is accomplished in my device by the pro-, vision of a safety switch I00. This switch is suitably carried by a flange Illl formed on the control housing and is designed to have its control button I02 extended through the outer casing 16 of the control member by being passed through a slot I03 formed therein. The control button is mounted within a recess I04 formed in the side wall 84 of the control element. A cam shaped surface I05 is formed'in the wall of the control element for engagement with the switch control button I02 when the control element is rotated so as to bring the arrow carried by the top wall 82 in registration with the word Operate, as indicated in the plan view of Fig. 4, which serves toclose the motor circuit, as hereinafter more fully described.

My device also incorporates an additional safety feature which preventsthe operation of the motor until suchtime as sufiicient water has been supplied to the waste materials to makedisposal thereof effective. This feature'comprises an electrode 106 mounted within an insulated bushing Hll carried by the wall 13 of the control housing. The electrode bears against an insulating member I II carried by the rotatable control element 8| so that it is insulated from mechanical contact with any of themetal parts of the device. The insulating member is flush with the outer surface of the outer casing 84 of the control member and extends therearound a distance sufiicient to insure contact with the electrode throughout the limit of its movement. The insulating member may be held in place by one or many integral studs I [2 passed through the supporting member I I3 of the control element. The

electrode I06 is pressed into contact withthe insulating member III by means of a spring II 4 carried by an insulating block H5 and suitably connected to an electrical conductor II6. In order that the water flowing into the control element has communication with the electrode, an opening I40 is formed through the insulating member III and the supporting member H3. Even though there is no mechanical contact between the electrode I06 and the casing, electrical communication between the parts will be established when water rises within the separate chamber 94 of the control element to the level of the opening I40 whence it will flow therethrough and contact the electrode I06, thereby closing the circuit.

In Fig. 6 where I show a diagram of the electrical wiring of my device, I show an electrical control device I20 which is preferably mounted within the junction box I2I secured to the side of the casing I0. In the circuit the power lines supplying electricity to the various parts of the invention are indicated by the numerals I23 and I24. These lines are controlled by a double throw switch I25 of usual type. The electric control device I20 comprises a transformer I26 having a primary winding I30 and a secondary winding I3l, and a relay I32 having normally open contacts I33 and I34. The power line I23 is connected to one terminal of the safety switch I99 and the other terminal of said switch is connected to the contact. I33 of the relay. The power line I24 is connected to one side of the primary winding of the transformer and also to the motor 3I. The other terminal of the motor is connected to the contact I34 of the relay, and the other side of the primary winding is connected to the relay contact I33. The secondary winding I3I is connected to the relay, and the other side of the relay is connected to the water-level responsive electrode I06. One end of the secondary winding is grounded as indicated at I35, the circuit being completed through the ground I36 and lead III. From the foregoing, it will be obvious that the safety switch I serves to close the primary winding of the transformer; the electrode and ground connections serve to close the relay circuit through the secondary of the transformer; and the relay serves to close the circuit to the motor through the safety switch.

When the device is to be put into use, the control member is removed from the control casing and the garbage and other waste mateinals to be treated are placed within the casing of the device. When filled, the control member is replaced within the control casing and is turned to the position where the arrow on the member points to the word Operate. This will serve through the camming action of the surface I to close the safety switch I00 where it will remain until it is operated to another position. The closing of this switch will cause the transformer to be energized. Water from the faucet I22 or other source of supply is now allowed to pass into the control member and through the registering openings 85 and 86 thereof to the interior of the casing. If the supply of water to the control element 61 exceeds the flow through the registering openings 85 and 86, water will rise within the control element as it rises within the casing I0, the water which rises within the element will flow through the opening I40 and down over the electrode I06, thus serving to complete the circuit through the electrode and the ground connections, thereby energizing the relay and closing its contacts whereby the motor circuit will be closed and the cutter head operated. If the casing I0 fills with water before the compartment 94 is filled, the water will rise within the casing and flow through the openings 85 and 86 and up through the slot I03, thereby submerging the electrode I06 and closing the circuit. Since the cutting blades are held in their inoperative positions by spring tension, the motor will be permitted to start under no load and when its normal speed has been reached, the blades will be forced outwardly to their working positions to cause the waste material contained within the device to be properly comminuted and passed downwardly into the trap and thence intothe sewer with the aid of the constant flow of Water.

During such period of operation, should the water level fall below the electrode, the relay will be ole-energized and the circuit to the motor will be broken until such time as suiiicient water is again supplied. Furthermore, when the control element is moved to Seal or Remove or if it should be removed while the motor is. running, the safety switch I00 will break the circuit through the primary winding of the transformer and cause the motor to be stopped.

Obviously, some modifications of the details herein shown and described may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claim, the form shown being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

What is claimed is:

A garbage disposal unit, comprising a casing adapted to receive material to be comm u a cutter block disposed within said casing and having a discharge opening, said block having a plurality of cutting teeth extending into the discharge opening, a cutter head carried by said casing and in coactive relation with said block, said head having its axis in a substantially horizontal plane, a plurality of cutter blades carried by said head and cooperating with said teeth, an electric motor for driving said cutter head, an electric circuit for energizing said motor, a control element carried by said casing, means for supplying running water to said control element and said casing, a normally open safety switch connected in said circuit and adapted to be closed under normal operating conditions of said disposal unit, a water-actuated safety means connected in said circuit and responsive to the level of the water in said disposal and said control units to maintain said circuit closed under proper operating conditions.

JOHN C. TRO'TTER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,215,055 Osius Feb. 6, 1917 1,968,515 Coble et a1. July 31, 1934 2,044,564 Carter June 16, 1936 2,059,106 Hess Oct. 27, 1936 2,065,634 Warrick Dec. 29, 1936 2,073,268 Ray Mar. 9, 1937 2,185,037 Powers Dec. 26, 1939 2,220,729 Powers Nov. 5, 1940 2,244,402 Powers June 3, 1941 2,469,205 Powers May 3, 1949 

